


Once Upon A Chain

by LunaciTV



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Blood and Gore, Dark Character, Dark Past, F/F, F/M, Fucked Up, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Other, warning now, yeah...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 08:54:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19147705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaciTV/pseuds/LunaciTV
Summary: *GORE WARNING IN SUMMERY*“When you look at me do you see… the nasty stuff?” Naruto whispered.Sasuke pauses his wanderings to look at Naruto. He had a small smile with eyes so blue they glowed in the moonlight. Around them Sasuke could see a bird pecked at the ground, pulling up intestines and gobble them up. Then there was the trees that had the human skin that was falling off, leaving welts and gashes down the bark. Sasuke looked at Naruto again and saw nothing but the whiskers on his cheek, and the hope in his eyes.“I don’t.” Sasuke whispered. “Only you and that stupid smile on your face.”“Fucking teme.”The smile he received was worth it.Or the one where Naruto and Sasuke lived in a cell most of their lives and what they did when they escaped.





	Once Upon A Chain

**Author's Note:**

> **DARK, GORE, PRETTY FUCKED UP. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED**

(non-beta)

 

 

 

Once Upon A Chain

 

They have kept him in a cage for as long as he could remember. It was a dull event, something that made his skin grow  _ cold _ , and  **_dull_ ** the longer he sat inside his cell **_._ ** He doesn't remember how long it has been since the last time he has heard the voice of another person, or what year it was exactly, but today he was sure he could hear the sound of footsteps coming his way. He knew  _ they  _ were bringing someone to him. He didn’t know how long it has been since the last, or how long it had taken the cold chill to seeped into his skin, but he can vaguely remember  _ why  _ he was  _ there  _ in the first place. 

 

_ It had been a long day, the child thought as he swayed in his swing. The men and women who passed squinted their eyes like foxes, tongues lashing out like whips across his skin. He doesn't really know why they did this, or why they chose to dig their nails into his fragile back, but he can always remember hearing another voice scream out against their jabs in the back of his mind. At first he did nothing to respond to the rumbling growl that wracked its nails beneath his nearly empty belly. That was until the villagers words began to turn into pain. At first the pain wasn’t that  _ **_bad._ ** _ He used to take the hits, the blows, though mostly verbally, sometimes physically, but he would take them and grit and bare it, like a good little  _ **_soldier_ ** _. Then, like a hint of moisture in the air as a storm began to brew, he remembered feeling  _ **_warm_ ** _. He can’t really remember if he was trapped, or if the words that dug into his skin, cutting it like nails against wood, bothered him, but he can remember the  _ **_growl_ ** _. It rooted him, making his mind calm as the voices around him screamed. And how they  _ **_screamed_ ** _. He remembers the heat that followed. Oh how it  _ **_burned_ ** _ him, peeling his skin back, forcing his body into shock. Soon after, after the old man had tried to calm him, failing, skin littering with scars that will  _ **never** _ disappear, unlike his own, he was detained. Soon he was knocked out, and when he woke, he was in darkness. _

 

 Shaking his head the boy took the time to look out into the small hole in the wall, illuminated by a small, half crescent moon. Sometimes they would throw another people in here with him. One time there was a woman who hissed like a snake. She would curse, and hiss, and lash out against him when he would seek out her warmth. And how warm she was, body heating her little corner where she hid, shaking and muttering words of fear. He can remember when he burned her, and how her flesh melted against the heat, but he was so  _ cold _ , he  **couldn't** help it. No matter how much she screamed or moved she eventually stopped. It might have been months, or years, but after all the gore and hate she was finally still. It wasn’t long after that fact that the men in charge took her away and she was finally gone, and he was left alone once more. It was never fun whenever they  **took** them away. He never meant to  _ hurt  _ them. He never meant to  **_burn_ ** them. 

 A clank of sound caused the boy to be pulled into the present. Someone was talking, but the boy couldn’t understand them. He tried, and oh how  _ hard  _ he tried. He could feel his chakra, red and hot and painful, lash against the walls. They never let him learn more than a few words, and the boy was well aware of the vocal boundary as another person skidded into the floor in front of him, small grunt filling the air as he fidgeted in his corner. Though he had no words to explain the feelings he felt, he fell to his knees at the smell and taste of the chakra before him. Never before has he tasted a chakra with such a similar taste as his own.

 Before he knew it he was crying, chest hot, eyes wide as a body, finally gathering it’s own self control as the other stared at him, took a few brave steps forward. Usually the people that joined him would cower, but this boy did not. Instead he charged him, after a few hours of staring, and he growled, and tried to  _ hurt  _ him. He dug his bony fist into his chest and pushed. The growl in the back of the boys mind lashed out, forcing the other boy to lash back, and soon, though kind of embarrassing, the two boys fell into a brawl. No one stopped them. No adult dared to enter. The ones who had tried to stop the child before were all dead, and none of them dared to stop him now. Everyone expected the other child, the dark haired, dark eyed kid, to be dead by the next morning, but instead, against all odds, the kid was still  _ alive _ . 

 It wasn’t because he had won that night, no, the blond could have easily ended him, and he thought about it for an hour prior to his awakening, but the child, the one that heard the growl in the back of his mind, he didn't want to end the other. It was as simple as that. He chose not to end the other. He CHOSE to stay still when the other fell silent. The next morning, when that child woke, shaking, scared, terrified, he stared at the boy, and the blond cried again for the second time in five years.

“Hello.” The child hiccuped.

“Hi.” The other whispered after ten minutes of the other crying. 

 The dark hair child was terrified of the other. His face was feral. He had tried to approach the other in sleep only to feel his skin burn at the touch. He had been angry before coming here. He might have yelled at the Hokage, but he couldn't help it. He felt so alone, and he didn't like the look of the adults around him, so when he saw the old man he had lashed out. The corner of the room shifted in place and he felt the pit of his stomach fall as the sludge of dark brown energy crawled towards him. It smelled rancid, like something rotting.

“Are you okay?” The inky orange blob asked.

“No.” He answered honestly, body pulling into itself as the other shifted in the corner. 

 Hours, or minutes had passed, nothing but the hint of light giving them any semblance of time. Sasuke has heard whispers of this boy. He had pushed it all to fiction, nothing but ghost stories to force the other children to listen. When he had found out about his brother, a man who was forced to listen to orders, the elders had not liked that. They had not liked that he knew the truth, and they had sent him here to  **_die_ ** . 

 They expected him to die here, and Sasuke had assumed he would too, that was, until he felt the other still beside him a slept crept upon him. He was a smart child, learning from those around him, and when he realized that the boy with him was of his age, well Sasuke knew he had to adapt. 

“Why are you here?”

 Sasuke watched as the child struggled to respond. It took him a long time, but eventually he did.

“I am bad. You bad too?”

 Sasuke tilted his head at the response, shaking it as the kid seemed to pull into itself, eyes unbelievably sad. 

“What did you do?” 

 Sasuke chose to ask, this time trying to motion his reply. It took even longer for the other to respond, but Sasuke never pushed. 

“I hurt Hokage.” 

 The other finally replied. 

“Me too.” Sasuke whispered. 

 The other seemed to lighten up at the notion, body inching closer to his own. Sasuke chose to scoot a bit closer as well, forcing his own fear to settle as he allowed the other to near him. His chakra was warm, and Sasuke wondered why the kid’s touch was so cold when they had fought. Sasuke frowned as he watched him, seeing how happy the boy got when he did not move away. It was disgusting to see something so simple cause such joy within the boy. 

“Why haven’t you tried to escape?” Sasuke asked, fingers trembling as he allowed the boy to inch even closer to him. The power emanating from the boy was starting to press down against his bones, making them ache. 

 Sasuke sat and waited, and waited some more, but the boy did not answer. It was nearly an hour later, after Sasuke had stared out the small hole in the wall, nearly falling asleep, before the other answered him.

“I...don't understand.” The blond answered.

 It took Sasuke half a second to realize what was wrong. This person, this  _ child _ , knew  **_nothing_ ** . He acted like a child who hasn’t learned enough to articulate what he meant, and he was so hungry for affection that Sasuke wondered when was the last time the boy had been hugged. Something dark and dangerous sludged its way across his mind, causing Sasuke to flinch against his own thoughts.  _ Befriend, contain, submit, dominate, _ Sasuke’s mind echoed as he allowed the boy to finally brush up against him. He was warm now, but not enough to where it hurt, just making him a bit uncomfortable in the already murky cell. Sasuke watched as the boy smiled so wide that it looked painful to watch, chakra burning the cell doors, eating away at the metal, nearly melting it. He found it curious that he wasn’t hurting, far from it in fact. The smell of the chakra wasn’t as strong now, but the power around him had doubled. 

 It seemed that the boy reacted through emotion, and Sasuke was in the center of the storm. If he was to stay here, in the good graces of the boy, then he would be  _ fine _ . The chakra would protect him, but it did not do the same for those around them. A dark, and sick smile found its way on Sasuke, and he allowed himself to hug the other, gripping him tightly, bringing his face into his chest, and inhaling the smell of power thrashing around them. The rotting smell was gone now, and Sasuke wondered if it was a figment of his imagination. 

“Friend?” The boy asked, causing Sasuke to pull away just enough to meet the other’s eyes.

“Friends.” 

And Sasuke smiled.

  
  


^__________^

  
  


 Naruto has never seen so much  _ green  _ in his entire life. It was so wild and whimsy that he fell into it, rolling onto the ground with a cry of glee. 

“Eight years.” His companion hissed as he stepped out behind him, watching Naruto roll around the ground, muscles flexing against the dew littering the grass before them. 

 Sasuke thought Naruto was beautiful, so beautiful, and  _ dangerous _ , and  **_deadly_ ** that he had to control himself as he stepped behind him, own body flexing at the new stretch of space. Back when he did not die all those years ago the council had to rework their idea of killing him. They wondered if there was a way of trying to brainwash him into becoming a  _ servant  _ of the village. Sasuke wasn’t stupid, and after some time he allowed the idea to happen, making it  _ seem  _ like he had grown so dependant on the boy before him that he could not function without the other. He had become an anomaly amongst them, a doubt. There was not a reason for him to still be alive, and over time Sasuke himself had wondered how he survived Naruto in the first place. The boy had a hot and toxic chakra that couldn’t help but burn those around him. 

 It really did like to burn those around them, sometimes burning Sasuke when he had argued with the boy. Spending so much time with Naruto, and especially when the boy didn’t want to learn, they had fought more than once. There had been times when the boy had pinned him down, teeth bared, drooling, skin so hot that Sasuke couldn’t help but scream out in agony, that Naruto had nearly killed him. On those nights, when Sasuke was sure he was going to die, that his chakra system was shot, that he had seen the faces of his now dead clan smiling back at him, but _then_ Naruto would come crawling back, crying, screaming at him to _wake_ **_up_**. Eventually he would wake up, still in pain, but in the arms of the other, **_alive_**. 

“Let’s move.” Sasuke barked, skin jumping at any slight movement around them. It wasn’t safe, not yet. 

 Naruto smiled at him, jumping at him, nothing but a blur of red and orange, picking Sasuke up and transporting them away from the village. It was such a trying event. Sasuke had timed it so perfectly, after years of trying and failing to escape, but now, now they were free, and he could smell and taste the ocean before them and it smelled  _ beautiful _ . Naruto stopped in his tracks and put Sasuke down, sweating a bit from the exertion of chakra. Naruto stared along with Sasuke at the deep hints of blue and greens, body pushing up against Sasuke as he shook to his core. They had spent so many years in the hell Konoha bestowed upon them. They had cried and screamed, and lost so many times at the idea of ever getting away, of ever learning, of ever seeing more than the walls that surrounded them, that now, now as the sun began to sit, as Sasuke’s skin burned from the heat, that Sasuke chose that moment to embrace Naruto.

 Sasuke had only ever teased the other back in the cell, making sure to use his frustration as a way to lash out to those around them, but now, as the sun sat, as Naruto smiled at him so warm and free, Sasuke embraced him like they were the only ones in the world to exist. At first Naruto went with it, allowing his body to grind against his own, like an old song playing on the radio, but when Sasuke didn’t stop, when he pinned Naruto’s waist beneath him, grinding into it further than Naruto has ever felt; it was then that Naruto completely submitted to Sasuke. That seemed to only egg Sasuke on, causing the boy to bite hard onto Naruto’s neck, causing him to thrash beneath Sasuke.

 His skin felt so  _ hot  _ and cold at the same time, but when Sasuke’s hands pinched even harder against his hips Naruto let go only to cry and moan as the body above him pushed and pulled him into a haze of heat and lust. There was a moment where naruto was scared, no terrified of the build up that grinded underneath his skin. It was hot, heavy, but constant, making his cries even louder, and Sasuke even rougher. Then, then something exploded so high and heavy that Naruto blacked out, neck sore from the teeth digging into his skin, and hips aching from the body still moving above him as he finally succumbed to an empty sleep. 

  
  


 Naruto woke feeling sticky, hot, and wet. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not, body vibrating with the slow rise of the sun before him. He felt full for the first time in a long time, body fidgeting under the other above him. Forcing his body to still Natuto watched as Sasuke breathed deeply in his rest. Sasuke had taught him so much since they had first met. He had taught him new words, and new movements in order for them to stay fit. There were times where Naruto had wanted to snuff out the light Sasuke emitted, but moments like these, especially how he felt now, that he was glad he ignored the voice in the back of his mind. 

 Now they were free, and Naruto began to grind against the body in front of him, voice trying to hush its urgency as he felt something hard brush against his leg. He knew that the other would wake before him and lash out, hurting him for going so far, but Naruto chased the high of last night, not caring for the painful grip that would soon stop him. 

 As Naruto tried to still his own movements, body chasing the echo of last nights pleasure, the body above him finally woke up. Naruto stilled, waiting for the pain, but instead he felt the body above him dig its nails into his hips and urge him on. Naruto’s heart skipped a beat, body shaking, and he stopped breathing, still waiting for the hits to come. 

 Sasuke then kissed him. They had kissed before, and Naruto has never shied away from the other’s touch as he mixed pain and pleasure, but the pain never came. Instead Sasuke pulled back and began to descend upon him, hands tearing away his clothes, mouth attacking his skin. It was so hot and heavy that Naruto’s chakra burned the sand around them, turning it to glass. When the mouth bit onto his hip Naruto came involuntarily, body arching, calling out Sasuke’s name. 

 But Sasuke didn’t stop, growing more hungry, more rough as the body beneath him wilted. The air smelled salty, tangy, but Sasuke moved forward, ravishing the skin beneath him. He didn’t stop, not after the second scream of his name, or the third. Not even when the body beneath him cried did he stop, not until he came from the ripple of power lashing out over his skin, tasting of pain, filth, and him name. 

 It was hours before either of them moved, and Sasuke was okay with that fact. After years of doing the dirty work of Konoha, after hearing nothing but whispers of his brother, he was okay with just laying there in the sand as the sky rose and fell once more. It wasn’t until the third day that Sasuke moved them, finally tiring of the beach.

 Before it had taken them three years of wallowing in the pits of hell before Sasuke had convinced his captives to allow them to read books. He had asked for history book and made sure to avoid all the scripts that mentioned the Uchihas. He had tried years before to gather knowledge of his fallen clan, but all he received was punishment for him and Naruto. Instead he turned to other clans, and secretly he followed the trails of the Uzumakis. 

 Sasuke had found out that Naruto last name was Uzumaki. At first it seemed that it was a false last name given to the orphan, but after testing a chakra exercise of the clan did he learn that Naruto’s last name really was his heritage. It was a blessing in disguise. Though their captives tried to convince him otherwise Sasuke had found out the truth. 

 There were times when Sasuke had lost all faith, and he was sure they would die there in that cell, but then Naruto would be there beside him, smiling. They had tortured others that had come to them. They had seen more blood and gore than any sane person should have witnessed, and Sasuke was sure they would see more in the years to come. 

“Love, we need to move.” Sasuke whispered, waking Naruto.   

 He received a small smile, the boy understood what was being asked, and as he stretched before he stood up and finally moved them. Naruto had so much chakra that moving across the ocean came swift and clean. Sasuke barely had to direct the man before they were standing before the ruins of Uzushiogakure. 

 Before they had left Konoha Sasuke had stolen his clan scrolls. He planned to learned everything he could, and he planned to teach Naruto as well. When they lived in their cage there was little they had learned from the confusing scrolls given to them over the years, but Sasuke was proud of Naruto being able to learn sealing from just hints. Sasuke had chalked it all up to clan blood, not bothering to question it further than that. 

 Though being the last of his kin, Sasuke could safely say Naruto was a prodigy. He himself could have been a prodigy, but because of Konoha’s negligence he had been seriously limited. As Naruto stretched and popped his back Sasuke finally looked upon the ruins, eyes sharpening at the scene. 

 The city was in shackles, and nature was trying its hardest to reclaim the land littered with bones and debre. Casually the two wandered through the island, looking for anything of value as they lazily moved about. Most of the places they looked nearly everything was destroyed, but when they did find an item in tact it was always close to being pristine. They would always find a seal somewhere on its surface, and they would take it with them as they searched for a building to stay in. 

“No I’m not going to do that.” Naruto growled to himself, eyes scanning the ruble. 

 Sasuke had learned long ago of the voice in Naruto’s head, or well stomach, as the blond puts it. At first Sasuke chalked it up to his imagination, a side effect of being left alone for so long. That was until the day he unlocked his Sharingan. On that day it was as if another person took over Naruto. His voice had changed, his whole aura had flipped and Sasuke was left a gurgling mess at the end of that day. 

 The voice had spoke of things Sasuke was sure Naruto knew nothing about. It spoke of names, of traits, of hatred. Sasuke had thought he knew what real hatred was. He had felt his own darken his thoughts, yet as he laid in a puddle of his own blood that  _ thing  _ inside Naruto had shown him what true hatred felt like. And it tasted  _ beautiful.  _ As Naruto continued to fight with himself, chakra lashing out around them, Sasuke chose that moment to sit down and watch as Naruto bickered back and forth, gesturing wildly into the air. 

 There were things Sasuke failed to mention to Naruto back in their cage. He had kept it to himself, knowing full well that back then Naruto wouldn’t have understood what had happened to his clan. Sasuke wondered if his brother knew of his fate. He wondered what the council would have told him, or if he knew of what really happened to him after he had left. Looking at his hands Sasuke could still feel the blood on his skin from the countless men and woman Naruto and himself have killed. 

 That was one positive that came out of it all Sasuke thought as he watched imaginary blood drip down his fingers. He had become desensitized to about almost everything. Sasuke smiled when he thought about how terrified Konoha must be knowing that they were free. He wondered how many people they would send after them. Being caged for so many years Sasuke had time to plan. 

_ Too much time to plan _ , he mused as Naruto marched up to him, finally noticing he was sitting down. His face was pinched, chakra moving about wildly, and he got right in Sasuke’s face, teeth baring. 

“You wouldn’t, right?” Naruto growled. 

“Wouldn’t what?” Sasuke blinked. 

 It wasn’t unusual for that  _ thing  _ to twist an idea into the blond’s head, forcing him to act rather violently. 

“Leave me, right?” Naruto had a wild look in his eyes as he towered over Sasuke. “You won’t go with someone else, right? You won’t find someone better, right?”

 Sasuke just looked up at Naruto, smirking as his silence seemed to make the air around him smell of something rotting. Naruto was always more attractive when he was angry. 

“I’d kill you, if you left me.” Naruto hissed. “I’d kill you, then  _ them _ , then  **_everyone_ ** .” 

 Sasuke pulled Naruto into his lap, hands on his hips. Naruto didn’t even fight him, body still shaking in pure fury as he climbed into Sasuke’s lap. 

“I’m not going to leave you, dobe.” Sasuke smirked. “I’m going to stay right here, by your side, until we die.”

 Naruto shivered as Sasuke slipped a hand beneath his shirt, fingers ghosting patterns on his stomach. 

“But if you ever think of leaving  **_me_ ** ,” Nails dug in and Naruto groaned. “I will hunt you down.” A hand dipped lower, a gasp. “Chain you up.” Naruto shook in place. “And cut you up until you were nothing but a mumbling  _ mess. _ ”

 It’s wasn’t until the sun had nearly set that they found a place to stay. 

  
  
  


^__________^

  
  
  


 It was exactly one year after the destruction of Konoha’s T.I department that Saskura was placed in a special unit to hunt down those responsible. So much has happened since then, and Sakura sighed as she waited for her sensai to show up. Itachi stood against the wall, eyes closed, composure calm. She was still wary of the man, though his name was cleared, she still didn’t trust him. 

 Ten months ago it was revealed that Itachi was working under orders, and had gone undercover in an organization trying to destroy major villages. To Sakura something didn’t sit right with her about the whole ordeal, and she wasn’t the only one who thought this, yet somehow here she was, his teammate. She knew it had something to do with the escape of the men who had crippled Konoha’s forces, but she wasn't an investigator. The Hokage, Danzo, wanted a medic to go with the retrieval unit, and she was no Tsunade, but she was good at her job. 

 Sakura’s mind wandered towards her academy days, and the event that took one of her classmates away. Lately every time she saw Itachi she thought of Sasuke. He was the other survivor of the Uchiha massacre. One day he was deeply depressed and angry, then he was gone. She wanted to ask Itachi if he knew what had happened to the boy she once had a crush on. From what she could remember he was talented, gorgeous, and so much smarter than herself. 

 As her mind started to wistfully spiral towards the easier days Kakashi chose that moment to show up. 

“Yo!” He smiled, eyes snapping to Itachi. 

“Sensei, we talked about this.” Sakura moaned, rubbing her eyes. 

“Maa, maa, that's for another time I’m afraid.” His smile strained. “Let’s move out.”

 Sakura knew that this mission would be awkward, and she had prepared for it mentally with Ino at the bar the night before they left, but damned if she didn’t hate every minute of it. It was nearing the seventh day when they came upon the beaches once owned by the Uzumakis. It was beautiful, and warm, something she rarely got to see in all her years of being a shinobi. Curiously there was a sign made out of old wood, message written out like a child’s drawing. 

“Do not enter, or else.” Kakashi mused, taking a sniff of the air. 

 The sign was fairly new, about a week or two old, and it seemed as if a child had made it. 

Parts of the sand were heated to the point that glass spikes glistened in the sun. It was hauntingly beautiful, but the chakra that seemed to be trapped inside of some of the spikes smelled of something putrid. It was a warning, one made to scoff at, to laugh, to underperform. A warning that was made to blindside their foes. 

“We’re close.” Itachi said, taking a few steps towards the shore. “Uzushiogakure is close.” 

 By close he meant a days trial on water. They chose to wait until nightfall to move, that way they would arrive during the day. Time seemed to drag by as they relaxed on the sand, Kakashi reading his book, one eye always glancing towards Itachi, while Itachi kept his eyes firmly on the horizon. A few hours later night fell and they finally set off, Sakura feeling a sickly pressure pushing her to turn back, to run, to stop. 

 She ignored her instincts and moved forward, refusing to back down. She had lost a lot of teammates over the years because of her hesitation, and she refused to allow the past to repeat itself. What felt like hours breezed by in minutes, all of her team starting to feel a building of pressure the closer they got to the island. 

 When they had finally set foot on shore the sun was up, and all of them stopped to stare at the destruction before them. Charred marks, blood, gore, so many bodily fluids, and pieces thrown about like there had been a war. Sakura swallowed, knowing full well that everything was recent. There was no way that this much gore was left after the fall of Uzushiogakure. 

“ **_I’m going to kill you, you fucking bitch._ ** ” A roar slammed from ahead, followed by a girly screech. 

 Sakura and her team stiffened, bodies falling into a fighting form. Then something slammed into the ground a bit away from them, a girl with light teal hair and golden eyes. She swallowed a mouth full of sand, trying to stand up, failing, only to have the largest pressure of chakra Sakura has ever felt slam into her. Sakura fell to her knees, unable to cope as she watched Itachi and Kakashi struggle to stand. 

 Now every cell in her entire body was screaming, raving against her as she froze in silent shock at the scene in front of her. The girl was now glowing as well, eyes lightened with a crazed look. In front of her was a man with his entire body dripping with such a foul and sickening chakra that Sakura felt her stomach lurch. The two creatures started to fight, one rag dolling the other, the other yelling profanities. 

 For an insane second Sakura thought it looked like two siblings fighting over a toy. Then the orange one picked her up and tossed her all the way across the field, right where they sat. Everyone froze, including the orange inferno, all except the girl who was groaning as she slowly sat back up. 

“Fuck Narutoooooo,” The girl groaned. “I was just playing. You didn’t have to break my ribs.” 

 When she didn’t receive an answer she looked to see Naruto staring at something behind her. Slowly Fuu turned to see three people, two men, and a woman, all with horrified faces. 

“Shit!” Fuu yelled, jumping up, only to stagger as she moved ahead, gaining some distance. 

 Sakura watched as the man, Naruto, seemed to refocus on the girl, eyes glowing even brighter as he took steps toward her. For some reason he had written them off and instead refocused on the girl, and if that didn’t make Sakura feel small, well, she would cut her hair short if she ever made it back home. 

“” **_That’s the third time I’ve caught you trying to make a pass on Sasuke, Fuu._ ** ”

 Itachi’s face drained of color. 

“But you’re so easy to rile up!” Fuu protested, pout now on her face. “Look, we both know I love you more than him.” Naruto gave her a doubtful look. “But really you make it so easy to mess with I couldn’t help myself-”

“ **_That’s it, I don’t care what he says I’m killing you this time._ ** ”

“Enough.” A third voice chimed in. 

 It took everything within her willpower not to start crying. Suddenly the pressure was gone, she could breathe again, and Sakura got back to her feet, eyes watching both of her teammates look like they were about to faint. 

“N-Naruto?”

“Sasuke.”

“Ah.” Sasuke said as he stepped out from behind a tree. “Hello Nisan.”

  
  
  


^__________^

  
  
  
  


 Sakura was sure she was having a fever dream as she sat in a rebuilt temple surrounded by strangers. One moment she was sure they were all going to die, the next they were escorted to the home of what was sure to be the targets for the mission. Sakura has no idea what came across Danzo’s mind when he sent her here, and right now it took everything within her not to puke at the smell coming from Naruto. 

 It wast that he himself smelled bad. There had been a moment where she had smelled the faint hint of shampoo, but now that sludge of orange chakra was back, and she was feeling ill. 

“It seems that the information I was given was wrong.” Itachi said as he sat across from Sasuke. Kakashi hasn’t said a word, eyes looking haunted as he watched Naruto. 

“Seems so.” Sasuke hummed, hands brushing away a strand of hair. 

“I was told you had revolted against the village and took away their weapon to fight against the Akatsuki.” 

 Naruto was busy laying in Fuu’s lap, eyes closed as she played with his hair. It seems like they had made up, and Sakura’s mind was left whiplashed. 

“I did revolt. And I did take Naruto with me.”

 At the mention of his name Naruto glances at Sasuke, then at them, eyes going slowly up and down their bodies before going back to his pretend nap. 

“Danzo wants you two back.” 

 At the word of her Hokage something dark twisted Sasuke’s features. It had taken until they were being escorted here for Sakura to realize that the Sasuke in front of them was the Sasuke of her childhood. He was littered with scars, and old burn wounds, but his face was nearly untouched. 

“Danzo is still alive, damn.” Sasuke sighed. “I was sure that we had killed him.” 

“What really happened to you Sasuke?” 

“Tell me, Nisan, what was the last thing that old council told you?” Sasuke asked. 

“That you had attacked the Hokage and that you were to receive a years probation.”

“That’s interesting.” Sasuke dragged. It was like pulling teeth and Sakura could tell Itachi was starting to lose his patience. The brother before his was a stranger, and Itachi wanted to know the truth. 

“That’s interesting because I did end up in a cell, with him.” Sasuke pointed to Naruto. “Not a lot of... our  _ friends  _ know this, but it seems like everyone is here, so I guess it’s time to spill.” 

 By everyone Sakura assumes he meant the wide collection of characters scrawled about the room. A man who hadn’t stopped rapping was in the corner with a lady with blond hair, another man was blowing bubbles against the back wall, and a few more that Sakura tried not to stare at all turned their way. 

“You see Naruto here is like a beacon.” Sasuke began. “And all these….  _ Friends _ came here and ended up bothering us. One thing led to another and now we all live here, for the most part.”

 Sasuke picked up a glass of tea and drank, eyes never leaving his brother’s. 

“Truth be told I don’t like any of them very much, and they don’t like me, but Naruto will be Naruto, and now we are here.” Another sip. “Naruto and I have been hush hush since moving out here, always sure to hide our… secrets well.”

“You two are fucked in the head, well all knew that coming here, so don’t act like you hid it that well.” Fuu cut in. 

“True.” Sasuke smirked, eyes twisting in the light. “It is hard to pretend eleven or so years in hell never happened.” 

 Naruto was now openly staring at Sasuke, eyes seeming to burn in the light. His chakra was starting to react again, and Sakura fidgeted in her seat. 

“From what I learned Naruto had been locked up even longer than I had. He had nearly killed the Hokage, Hiruzen, and somehow Danzo got him to stay locked up even after Hiruzen was healed. Guess a near death experience can do that to a person, warp their views.” Sasuke moved another strand of hair from his eyes. “They used Naruto as a living furnace to burn and torture anyone they sent in there, and then one day I was in there.” Itachi frowned. “I had found out about you Nisan, and the council didn’t take that very well. They wanted me gone. And when I didn’t die they kept me and Naruto together.” Fuu was staring at Naruto with wide eyes. 

“Tell me, have you ever been stuck in a loop?” Sasuke pondered. “Day in and day out its the same, little room to move, not enough light to see. Food is sometimes never served, clothes never changed, unable to shower or sleep on a bed.” The smile on Sasuke’s face was cutting through Itachi like a rusted knife. “Then there would be a break in the cycle. Torture them and you get warm food, new clothes, a shower. From there we learned that the bloodier and longer they stayed alive, the better. Have you ever smelled death? In all its stages? Usually you can walk away from the body, leave it behind, but when you’re stuck in a cell, and your jailers forgot about it, a lot of things can happen.” 

 Kakashi had to cover his mouth. Sakura gagged, and Itachi’s hands were fisted so tight that his nails cut into his palms. 

“We sometimes miss it, believe it or not.” Sasuke hummed. “We learned a lot of ways to torture someone, and sometimes we  _ miss  _ it.”

“T-that can’t be, the council said-”

“The council lies Nisan.” Sasuke hissed. “They promised us if we  _ listened _ we would get  **_out_ ** , but it seems that we had become too dangerous that they thought keeping us contained would be easier. Day in and day out it was the same. If they didn’t like how we handled a client we would be starved, beaten, chained, forced to live in our own filth until  **_they_ ** deemed it necessary.” Sasuke was panting, red eyes spinning, fully developed. Itachi’s automatically activated his own, eyes wide as he stared at his brother. 

“We were treated worse that dogs!” Sasuke yelled, flipping the table as he stood. “Did you know Naruto can barely sleep? Did you know everywhere I look there is blood and gore and everything is always dripping puss, blood, acid, skin peeling off when I just want it to stop!”

 Naruto jumped to Sasuke, picking him up before vanishing, not even giving them a warning. The room felt heavy, everything felt dirty. Sakura was missing her mother and father, and Ino so much at the moment that it hurt. 

“Look….” Fuu was there in front of them, face as ashen as their own. “We all knew they were a bit… unhinged, but not  _ that  _ bad.”

 Sakura took the hand offered to her and stood. Her sensei and Itachi followed close behind. 

“Look I’m sure that they’ll be fine by tomorrow, so let me take you to a room, and we’ll meet back here in the morning, yeah?” Fuu smiled weakly. “We’re all strangers, I know, and trusting us would be stupid, but…”

“Thank you.” Itachi said as he nodded to Kakashi. 

 Slowly everyone left the room, and when they were settled into their own Kakashi put up a few traps and seals. 

“Is it our fault?” Itachi asked Kakashi. 

“It might as well be.” 

 Itachi’s fist slammed into the wall, cutting his knuckles, blood falling to the floor. No one slept well that night. 

  
  
  


^__________^

  
  
  


“Sasuke you need to calm down.” Naruto sighed as he leaned against a tree. They were on the outer edge of the island, near a cove where their main source of water was hidden. 

“Their faces were just like  _ them _ .” Sasuke hissed. “Why’d you take me away?!” 

“Because you would have killed them, and I’m sure your plan would be ruined if that happened.” Naruto sighed. 

“Fuck you.” Sasuke growled. “I just wanted to take a  _ piece _ , just a finger, a tooth, something they wouldn’t miss.”

“You say that now, but tomorrow you would have regretted it.” Naruto supplied. “I know hearing that bastards name again sucks.”

 Sasuke scoffed. 

“And I’m just as bloodthirsty as any other, but you were losing it there.” Naruto said. “Usually I’m the irrational one.” 

“You’re more rational than you think.” Sasuke hissed. 

“Unless it has to do with you.” Naruto smirked. “Then I’m ten times lost to the wind.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Gaara.” Sasuke muttered, finally settling his nerves. 

“Panda-kun has helped us the most you know, dattebayo.” Naruto frowned. 

“Yes and I like him for it, happy now?” Sasuke sighed, hand scrubbing over his face. “I guess it’s time we told that snake about our possible return to the leaf.” 

“I still don’t trust him.” Naruto growled, stepping up against Sasuke. 

“Well he wants to end the leaf as much as us, though I’m not sure how our…  _ friends  _ will feel about this plan.” Sasuke sat down, dragging Naruto beside him. 

“They think this place is a haven for out kind and they will do anything to protect it.” Naruto mused. “Well that’s what Gaara says.”

“He’s not wrong.” Sasuke sighed. “It’s the safest place I know to keep you safe.” 

“Look I’ll tell them tonight.” Naruto smiles. “Then tomorrow we can talk to your brother, and his team.” 

“Hn.”

 They laid in silence, enjoying the calm that came before a storm. More than once the two had talked about ditching their plans of revenge and just running away. Running away and never come back, but then they would remember. Something would remind them  _ why  _ they  **hated** Konoha in all its glory, and why they couldn’t just  _ run  _ away. It was impossible for them to live simple lives. If by the horde of jinchuuriki that followed them everywhere they went was any indication, then they would probably never live calm and easy lives. 

“When you look at me do you see… the nasty stuff?” Naruto whispered. 

 Sasuke pauses his wanderings to look at Naruto. He had a small smile with eyes so blue they glowed in the moonlight. Around them Sasuke could see a bird pecked at the ground, pulling up intestines and gobble them up. Then there was the trees that had the human skin that was falling off, leaving welts and gashes down the bark. Sasuke looked at Naruto again and saw nothing but the whiskers on his cheek, and the hope in his eyes. 

“I don’t.” Sasuke whispered. “Only you and that stupid smile on your face.” 

“Fucking teme.” 

 The smile he received was worth it. 

  
  
  


^__________^

  
  
  


 Naruto was bothering Gaara as he made them breakfast, Sasuke grumpily sipping on his morning tea. Out of all the jinchuuriki Gaara was the only one beside Naruto to not be a decaying mess whenever Sasuke looked at them. Sasuke chalked it up to Gaara being the first of his kind to find them here on the island. 

 He had come for blood, something about his mother wanting his head, and Naruto had beaten him black and blue until he was knocked out. Since then they have all grown as people, maturing a bit easier around others who have similar bloodlusts. Somehow with Gaara’s help they had managed to create a functioning adult life, and managed to get a lot of the structures around them working. 

 Gaara was dangerously smart, once his mother had taken a break from pestering him with insanity, and he had managed to teach them both as much as he could. Really he was the only one he didn’t hate, aside from Fuu, and he was grudgingly content with Naruto’s attachment to him. 

“Yo, great to see you two are fine. Last night was like a crime!” Bee bellowed as he entered the room, sitting across from Sasuke. 

“You’re brother is going to send assassins after us again if you don’t go home soon.” Sasuke sighed. 

“Bro is just being a stick in the mud. He’ll get over it sud.” Bee exclaimed. 

“Hn.” Sasuke said. 

“What he means is that you should check up home for a week then come back, can’t have you mad that we killed more of your people octopus-sama.” Naruto smiled, passing a plate of food to Sasuke. 

 The conversation flowed around him as Sasuke focused on his food. Though it mostly looked rotted and green he was sure that Gaara had taken the time to cook it all today. Sasuke always wondered why Gaara cooked for all three of them and no one else. After deciding that he’d feel better if he ate with his eyes closed Sasuke did just that, sighing softly once he was finished. 

 An hour later, after everyone had come to make sure they were okay, Sasuke, Gaara, and Naruro were the only ones left. They were waiting for his brother and his team to show up. 

“You sure you wanna go with us? You know what we’re planning right?” Naruto asked Gaara, playing with the last of his food. He’s never had a big appetite. 

“Yes. Now stop asking me that same question every five minutes.” Gaara scolded. 

 As the two bickered Sasuke stared at Naruto’s lips as he remembered last night. It seemed that more than all didn’t care about their business, only that they wanted to keep the island safe. As long as they returned, as long as they tried to rebuild, then they would stay out of their way. No one wanted to go, each wanting to stay out of the eyes of the public just in case their villages happened to catch a whiff of their location, and Sasuke was fine with it either way. 

 He never planned to have any of them tag along, but having one agree was always a plus. It meant that Naruto would be that much safer, and he that much stronger. Sasuke was really enjoying the way Naruto’s mouth moved as he pouted at Gaara when his brother and team stepped into the room. Naruto barely bothered to glance at them before sighing and smacking Gaara on the arm, to which sand stopped and flicked him on the forehead. 

“Sasuke, Naruto.” Itachi nodded at them. “And you are?” 

“Gaara.” He said with his deadpan voice. 

“Hello Gaara.” 

“This is fun and all but can we get to the point.” Naruto rudely cut in. “I want to take a nap.” 

“Apologies.” Kakashi smiles, speaking for the first time. “We must leave soon, it seems that the information we have is wrong and would like to  _ kindly  _ ask the Hokage what is  _ really  _ going on.”

 Sasuke liked the tone in his voice. It spoke of anger, hate, regret. 

“Sure, sure, but before you go, tell him Naruto and I will not return unless we are cleared on all charges.” Sasuke smiled. “You see personally we’d like to never step foot in that village again, but Naruto needs his clan scrolls that they stole, and I my own. So tell him we will only return on the return of clan secrets, and a clearance of our names.  _ Then  _ we  **_might_ ** be willing to negotiate.”

“Sounds  _ peachy. _ ” Kakashi eye smiled before nodding to Itachi. 

“Sasuke….”

“Don’t worry Nisan, we’ll get to talk again, I promise.” 

_ That sounds like a threat,  _ Itachi thought as he and his team left, escorted by Fuu to the shore. 

“Let’s go.”

“Hai!”

  
  


^__________^

  
  


 It wasn’t long before they Konoha sent more men to them, this time his brother wasn’t with them. They chose to decline, saying that they would only go if Itachi was an escort, and though they knew it only pissed off Danzo, they also knew Konoha couldn’t refuse. When his brother did join them, along with some men they didn’t know, it was then that Sasuke smiled, offered them a days rest before they set off. Once everyone was settled Sasuke pulled Itachi aside and they finally had that little  _ chat  _ he’s been meaning to get to. And it looked like his brother had something on his mind as well, so ever the gentleman, Sasuke spoke with his  _ Nisan _ , and oh boy did they  **_talk_ ** .

  
  


^__________^

  
  


 The screams that filled the village sounded like music to his ears, or maybe that was Naruto’s insistant humming beside him. If Sasuke knew how to dance he would be doing just that as Naruto continued to hum a lovely tune, hands moving like he was orchestrating a song. They had done it. Danzo was dead. The council was dead. The trap they had tried to spring on them was countered, and in the end their main flaw was thinking that Itachi loved the village more than he loved his brother. That was where they messed up. 

 The gas that Orochimaru had created for them, with the help of Naruto’s chakra, was working  _ beautifully _ . It would leave most blind, some stuck in a vivid nightmare, and some would burn from the inside out if they managed to outlive the rest. They didn’t kill  _ everyone _ , no they left enough to cause a ripple across the nation. 

“Aniki, we need to leave.” Itachi frowned. 

 His eyes were spinning red, and he looked haunted, like he was beginning to regret what he had done. In the end what he felt didn’t matter, and Sasuke nodded before pulling Naruto along with him, Gaara a step behind. By the time they made it home Konoha would be in ruins, scars left littering the ground like the scars on his own body. A mark for a mark, tooth for a tooth, only this time he had taken more than he had ever given that forsaken village. 

 

“Let’s go home.”

 

And then they were gone, they were done, and they were finally  _ free _ .

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hi, how are you doing?  
> good good  
> i don't know why i wrote this, nope, not a clue   
> but hope you enjoyed!


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